The Ultimate Guide to Scoring a 7 on Your IB Geography IA
Alright, let's talk about the Geography IA. It’s the single most important piece of work you’ll do, making up 25% of your final grade at SL and 20% at HL. But don't let that intimidate you. Think of it as your chance to be a real geographer – to get out in the field, collect your own data, and contribute a piece of original research. This guide will break down exactly how to move from a vague idea to a polished, high-scoring IA.
We'll cover the four most critical parts of the process:
- Nailing the Foundation: How to formulate a "sharp" research question that sets you up for success.
- Decoding the Mark Scheme: Understanding what the IB examiners are really looking for in each section.
- Telling Your Story with Data: Creating clear, effective visuals like choropleth maps and scatter graphs.
- Sticking the Landing: Writing a powerful, data-driven conclusion that proves your point.
Part 1: Nailing the Foundation - Your Research Question
Your entire IA is built on your fieldwork question. A weak, vague question leads to a weak, vague project. A sharp, focused question is the backbone of a 7. So, what makes a question "sharp"?
The Sharp Question Checklist:
- Focused & Specific: It avoids broad terms. It names the specific relationship or phenomenon you're investigating.
- Geographical: It has a clear spatial element and links to a concept from your IB Geography syllabus (e.g., urban models, river processes).
- Measurable: You must be able to collect primary data to answer it. This means you can identify clear variables.
- Manageable: The scope is realistic for one person to complete in about 20 hours of work, with a word count of 2500 words.
Example of a VAGUE question:
"How does urban stress vary in London?"
This is too broad. What is "urban stress"? Where in London? How would you even measure that?
Example of a SHARP question:
"How does urban stress, as measured by noise pollution, pedestrian counts, and a bipolar environmental quality survey, vary with increasing distance from the CBD in London, along a transect of the District Line?"
See the difference? It has specific variables, a clear location, and a defined methodology. This is a question you can actually investigate.
Part 2: Decoding the IA: What the Examiners Actually Want
The IA is marked against six criteria, totalling 25 marks. Understanding what each one is asking for is the key to maximising your score. Let's break it down.
| Criterion & Marks | What It Really Means |
|---|
| A: Fieldwork Question & Context (3) | State your sharp research question. Provide background theory and a student-drawn map of your study area that is clear and labelled. |
| B: Methods of Investigation (3) | Describe and justify your data collection methods. Why did you choose systematic sampling over random? Why this specific piece of equipment? Show you’ve thought it through. |
| C: Quality & Treatment of Data (6) | This is where you present your data. Use a wide range of appropriate techniques (graphs, statistical tests, maps) to process your raw data into something meaningful. |
| D: Written Analysis (8) | The most important section. You must interpret the data you've presented in Part C. Identify trends, patterns, and anomalies, and connect everything back to your research question and the geographical theory. |
| E: Conclusion (2) | Provide a clear, direct, and concise answer to your research question. Refer back to your initial hypothesis. |
| F: Evaluation (3) | Critically reflect on your investigation. What were the strengths and weaknesses of your methods? How could you improve or extend the study? Be specific and realistic. |
Part 3: Telling Your Story with Data - Visuals That Work
Great data visualization makes your findings instantly understandable. Your graphs and maps aren't just there to look pretty; they are crucial evidence for the points you make in your analysis. Every visual must have a title, labelled axes (with units!), and be referred to directly in your text (e.g., "As seen in Figure 3...").
The Lanterna Tip: If you're not going to talk about a graph or map in your analysis, don't include it. Every visual must have a purpose and be fully integrated into your argument.
Mastering Scatter Graphs
Use these to show the relationship (or correlation) between two variables.
- Axes: The independent variable (the one you change/measure) goes on the x-axis. The dependent variable (the one that is affected) goes on the y-axis.
- Line of Best Fit: Always include a line of best fit to clearly show the trend (positive, negative, or no correlation).
- Anomalies: Scatter graphs are great for spotting outliers. If you have an anomalous result, point it out and try to explain it using geographical context or a photo.
Mastering Choropleth Maps
Perfect for showing how data varies across different areas or regions.
- Use Relative Data: These maps work best with rates or percentages (e.g., crime rate per 1,000 people), not absolute numbers (e.g., total crimes). Using absolute numbers can be misleading as larger areas naturally have larger numbers.
- Smart Colour Schemes: Use a single colour that intensifies with value (e.g., light green to dark green). This makes the pattern easy to see at a glance.
- Clear Key: Make sure your key is clear, simple, and has no overlapping value ranges.
Part 4: Sticking the Landing - Writing a 7-Level Conclusion
Your conclusion is your final statement. It should be concise, confident, and directly answer your research question. Don't introduce new information here. Follow these steps for a perfect conclusion.
- Restate Your Question & Hypothesis. Briefly remind the reader what you set out to investigate.
- Directly Answer It. Start with a clear statement: "The findings of this investigation support the hypothesis that..." or "The hypothesis was rejected...". It's perfectly fine if your data disproves your hypothesis!
- Justify with Data. Briefly summarise the key evidence from your analysis that supports your answer. Refer to specific statistics, trends, or correlation strengths you calculated. Example: "...as shown by the strong negative correlation (Rs = -0.85) between distance from the river and soil moisture content."
- Link Back to Theory. Briefly connect your findings to the geographical models or concepts you mentioned in your introduction. Does your local-scale study support the established theory? Does it challenge it?
- Explain Significant Anomalies. If there was a major anomaly that impacted your results, briefly mention your geographical explanation for it. This shows deep critical thinking.
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